THe culture of Ethics

            During the annual business seminar week I visited an early morning lecture by a professor  Samuel Mercier. According to Professor Samuel Mercier, from the University of Burgundy, France, there is a deep cultural difference between corporate ethics in Europe and the United States. Business ethics has increased dramatically in the states, while it has not caught on as strongly in places like France. The speech was very informative and gave some great examples about ethical dilemmas that occur in the business setting.

I learned that there are two types of ethical dilemmas, deontology and consequentialism. Deontology is the logic or moral obligation dealing with ethical dilemmas, while consequentialism makes people think about the consequences of each action of the ethical dilemma. Professor Mercier gave an example we would understand, using a well known show called 24, where Jack Bauer has to save American from disaters that could kill hundreds of people. He must make important ethical decisions where the end justifies the means. During this lecture I also learned about the ethical test used in other countries that has been adapted from an American one. This test is a serious of eight question to rate the type of profile employees are. Unfortuantly the validity of the test is flawed because in countries like France, the culture is so different that the way employees would answer some of the questions is off.

I thought the lecture was very interesting to listen too, and enjoyed a different perspective on business culture. It was fascinating to learn about the ways that the French handle ethical dilemmas in comparison to the American way. In Europe ethics in the business world are more of a questioning process than a matter of compliance.

Fashionista

This Ad describes my Innovator category, because it is a high fashion brand that is targeted toward young women that enjoy splurging on name brands like, Marc Jacobs. Wearing a piece from the latest Marc Jacobs collection is like wearing a piece of art that you live your life in. Not everyone is willing to pay for the expensive label but some, like myself and other Innovators find joy and pleasure in the purchasing of a designer brand.

Innovator / Experiencer

My primary VALS category was Innovator. I think this is a valid description of myself because it describes me to a T. I have always had a good self esteem and have always been very confident, I know that I will be very successful in what I decide to do after college because I wont accept anything less. I am somewhat materialistic and enjoy buying the latest trends and technologies. My taste reflects that I enjoy the finner things in life, which may sound superficial but is completely true. My secondary VALS category was experience, because of my age and desire to have the "cool" things in society it describes me very well. The experience likes sports and out door activities, which describes me very well. Being a young consumer  in the market I am impulsive in my buying decisions, the experience  is just that.

Four Rings

In my life I have always been somewhat of a materialistic girl. Shopping has always been an enjoyable experience as well as the shoppers high I get from purchasing things I desire. But even after I buy everything I could possibly want they never end up having the same meaning as my rings. I have four rings that I never take off with the exception of basketball games. these possessions may be small and insignificant in the scheme of things but they give me that feeling of identity. I have one ring that is silver with a gold cross, this ring is my extent of my religion. I have never been a religious person and never enjoyed wearing a cross around my neck,  but the ring is like a piece of art i get to wear and it symbolizes my faith. Another ring is one my brother gave to me for christmas a long time ago. It is my birthstone, aquamarine, surrounded by beautiful diamonds set in a white gold band. It is one of the most precious rings because my brother is one of the most important people in my life, and when I look down at it I think of him. The ring on my wedding ring finger is a very special ring I got in Hawaii. It has my name written in Hawaiian and on the inside its engraved with, "Maui 2008 love mom." This ring represents my love for travel as well as the experience I had in Hawaii with my mom. The last ring is an antique wedding band my mom was given by her mother, she gave it to me to wear years ago when I fell in love with it. These rings are not just possessions to me, they give me a sense of identity. Each one tells a story and holds a memory from life.

Framing

In my own life there are many example of framing. Just the other day I realized I was framing a problem when I was explaining something to my father. I had just got into a car accident, and it not being my first ( or second ), I knew he was not going to be very happy with me. When I called him up instead of my usual hysterical crying I stayed calm and collected stating that I might have done something he might not like but it wasn't that bad. Knowing my track record with cars and accidents my father knew right away that I was in some sort of accident, I explained that it was not a bad accident just a fender bender. I proceeded to tell him I had everything under control with the accident report and taking pictures of both cars. Instead of his usual fury he was much more calm and relaxed about the situation. By framing the problem as something that I could handle and by staying cool and collected he was not angry with me at all. Because framing is how you set the stage for what comes next in a communication, it is, in essence what you say before you say what you want to say. If I had done what I usually do by crying and making the situation sound much worse than it really was my father would have been much more upset with me and the whole situation could have been worse than it already was. 

Hawk Pride!

You see it everywhere, and you can hear its name echo from the walls of every gym we enter. We are the Lady Hawks. Coach calls us into the huddle, while we all circle around her you can feel the intensity building within our veins. We all put our hands forth as one unit and the count begins. "Hawks on three! ONE...TWO...THREE! HAWKS!. This symbol brings a great sense of community to our team. When the school chose a Hawk as our mascot they most likely chose an atheistically appealing symbol but it was the students here at RWU that have shaped the meaning behind the friendly bird.( Community Shapes the Brand ) The Hawk gives our school a sense of communal pride and invokes meaning and togetherness among a school of diverse students. For my Basketball team the Hawk represents our hard work and dedication to each other and our sport. The Hawk may not be as familiar as the Nike swoosh but if you are apart of our small University you have to be blind not to no what the Hawk looks like. It sets it apart from other groups or schools because other schools have a different symbol or mascot. Another group on campus that has a logo is the CEN ( Campus Entertainment Network ). They are a tight knit group of students that help set up events and concerts at our school. Though I am not in the group I can see they where their CEN shirts with pride. The symbol sets them apart from other students that dont get the behind the scenes look at our school functions. I am not sure it would be something that I would be interested in joining but it sure does look like they have fun and show a great passion for. 

The Artisan Way

After reading about Tito's Handmade Vodka it was interesting to learn about how the company started. How a mortgage broker had a passion for distilling and flavored vodkas and left his comfy job to pursue a risky path. Tito is a self taught distiller that produced a smooth tasting homemade vodka for the consumer. Sailor Jerry's Spiced Navy Rum also has a unique story behind it as it was created by a company that originally designed tattoos. Walker says that Branding is a process of attaching an idea to a product, for Sailor Jerrys, its the tattoo history that creates the idea behind the traditional seafaring recipe. With Tito's company, the idea attached to his vodka is that its handmade by the owner himself in the first and oldest distilling factory in Austin Texas. What Tito's Handmade Vodka and Sailor Jerrys have in common is the artisan idea attached to each. Tito goes through an extensive process of distilling that most Vodka companies do not, while Sailor Jerrys has limited edition designs on each bottle drawn by the the actual artisit, Sailor Jerry. Walker also said if a product is successfully tied to an idea, branding persuades people to consume the idea, I think Walker would agree that these brands have successfully done that!